Signs and Symptoms of Unhealthy or Unbalanced Exercise in Competitive Athletes
• Exercise is the individual’s primary means of coping
• Exercise occurs despite injury
• Withdrawal effects (i.e., sleep and appetite disturbance, negative shift in mood, decreased concentration, etc.) occur when exercise is withheld
• Overuse injuries
• Stress fractures
• Menstrual irregularity in women or a decrease in testosterone levels in men
• Loss of bone density
• Decreased immunity
• Frequent colds and/or upper respiratory tract infections
• Inflexibility of exercise schedule (i.e., will not alter schedule; will not decrease exercise; will not NOT exercise)
• Decrease in sport performance
• “Overtraining Syndrome” (Staleness)
An excerpt reprinted with permission from The Exercise Balance
By Pauline S. Powers, M.D. and Ron Thompson, PhD
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